


My Heart Aches for You

by lu_as, rachelsdl (nolanpatty)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, steggy is like two second background haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24217084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lu_as/pseuds/lu_as, https://archiveofourown.org/users/nolanpatty/pseuds/rachelsdl
Summary: It’s a cold winter night in Russia when Bucky meets his soulmate.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	My Heart Aches for You

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to lu for helping me edit this! 
> 
> This is a piece for @all-light on tumblr
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @farfrombucky

It never matter’s how many winter’s Bucky has lived through in Russia, they never get any easier. It doesn’t matter that winters in Romania had been the same, and Bulgaria too. He still hates the cold. He still hates the bitterness that the cold seeps into his bones and subsequently into his heart. He hates the snow under his feet that leaves his toes freezing because no amount of socks could provide enough warmth. And he hates most of all, the vibrant flowers that pop out of people’s shirts and coats as they pass him in the street, alive and beautiful as ever despite the dreary, disgusting, despicable weather that sits in the atmosphere for most months of the year in Russia. 

The flowers had been around since Bucky could remember. And sure, running around in the schoolyard in his small hometown, they’d been scarce if not nonexistent, but the older Bucky got, the more he’d see the flowers begin to bloom on his friends, people on the streets, people in the stores. He saw them everywhere. Bucky had liked them at first - a pop of beauty in the midst of the chaos of life. However the older he’d gotten the more he’d begun to hate everything the flowers stood for.

When he was about sixteen years old, his best friend met a new girl in town. They’d only known each other for three days and in art class when Steve dropped one of his charcoals, Peggy bent down to pick it up, their hands grazed in the smallest of touches. In their fingers bloomed the smallest of little rose buds — deep red petals matching the shade of Peggy’s lipstick perfectly. Bucky remembers staring daggers at Steve’s hand for the rest of the day, and wondering why Steve had flowers and Bucky didn’t. 

Bucky was sixteen years old when he’d learned that Steve and Peggy were soulmates, and now, fourteen years later, Bucky had seen person after person come into his life and leave, never once finding his own soulmate. 

Bucky thinks he’s a kind enough person. He’s gentle, and he loves his new puppy with his whole heart. He thinks he’s deserving of a soulmate, really. He told himself for a long time that it would happen one day, but at thirty years old Bucky’s given up all hope and has instead resorted to despising flowers of all kinds. 

Until today, that is. The snow had been coming down like a blizzard, but Bucky had left the flat anyway because puppies still had to be walked. So here he was walking the streets of St. Petersburg as his Samoyed puppy, Finley (whom his next-door neighbor’s daughter affectionately referred to as Fifi) happily trotted into the snow, completely unbothered by the cold temperatures, the harsh winds, or the falling snow. If he was being honest, it only furthered his already sour mood, because how could something be so happy in such terrible weather? 

The sun is just beginning to set, and the street lights are starting to flicker to life overhead. The road is mostly empty, and there are only a few pedestrians out, some hurrying from here and there, others walking with their loved ones or pets like Bucky. 

Fifi barks, and Bucky takes it as his queue to continue walking, following his normal route that he takes Fifi on every evening. He studies Fifi as she trots in the snow, small paws sinking deeper into the snow the faster the snow falls to the ground. Bucky gets lost in watching Fifi, his feet taking him on their route as if on auto pilot. Just as Bucky is about to round the corner of his block, and thick piece of pink fabric flies through the air and lands on Fifi’s back. She startles for a moment and barks up at Bucky. He huffs as he bends down to pick up the thick scarf, looking around him and catching the eye of a beautiful redheaded woman. Bucky raises the scarf, in silent offering, and she takes a step closer to Bucky. 

“Looks like you dropped something.” Bucky says as he approaches the small woman.

“Dropped or thrown off from a blizzard,” She quips, green eyes shining in amusement. 

Bucky smiles, stepping closer, “Right,” he breathes out a small laugh. He reaches around her neck, and gently places the scarf around her, pulling his hands away from her. His finger grazes lightly on her collarbone. 

“You live around here?” Bucky asks, not sure why he’s making conversation.

“Uh, yeah,” she mumbles, but doesn’t look up at Bucky. Her eyes are glued to his grip on Fifi’s leash. 

“Oh, me too,” Bucky continues. “Just over that way.” He gestures to his left with the leash still in his hands, accidentally pulling Fifi towards the side. She barks in contempt, and Bucky pulls his hand back, instinctively looking down at Fifi.

That’s when he sees it.

The smallest of red carnations, right on the tip of his finger. He looks up and his eyes settle on the identical flower blooming in the spot of the woman’s skin he had touched. Bucky’s not quite sure how he could’ve missed a bright flower blooming like that. 

“I, uh,” She clears her throat, finally looking at Bucky, “I live, just over here.” She points behind Bucky at the apartment complex right behind him. “Guess we’re neighbors.” 

“Yeah, neighbors,” Bucky replies, meeting her eyes finally. “My name’s Bucky.”

“Natalia,” she responds, flashing him a small smile. 

Fifi sniffs at Natalia’s shoes.

“This is Finley,” Bucky responds, “But my five year old next door neighbor calls her Fifi. It’s kind of stuck.”

“Fifi,” Natalia smiles, bending down to pet the dog’s pearly white fur. “Well aren’t you just beautiful.” Natalia stands up and eyes Bucky for a moment. “You know, I had a ballet instructor when I was younger, and he told us that red carnations were meant for people who’d been aching to find each other for years.”

Natalia smiles at Bucky, and he’s rendered breathless.

“Is that right?” Bucky swallows down some nerves. 

“It is,” Natalia’s smile reads more like a smirk, and Bucky’s positive he loves it.


End file.
